Earth formations may be used for various purposes such as hydrocarbon production, geothermal production and carbon dioxide sequestration. In order to efficiently use the formations, measurements are typically performed on the formations using sensors or tools disposed in boreholes penetrating the formations, and a variety of well interventions are required and performed to initiate and maintain production rates. The instrumentation required to perform these measurements and interventions are here referred as downhole tools. Common conveyance methods used to deploy downhole tools use electro-mechanical cables, referred as wirelines or armor wirelines; other variations include slick line cables, braided lines, semi-rigid rods, and the like.
When wirelines are used to perform downhole measurement operations, these operations are referred to as wireline logging. The wireline physically supports and conveys the tool and also contains electrical conductors for supplying power to the tool and communicating sensed data with a processor at the surface.
A wireline operator at the surface near the entrance to the borehole typically operates a winch that can deploy and retrieve the wireline. A goal of the operator is to operate the winch in a manner that would prevent damage to the wireline or breaking the wireline. Hence, it would be well received in the drilling industry if methods and apparatuses were developed to provide wireline operators with sufficient wireline data to help prevent damage to or breaking of wirelines.
The ability to drill wells with extreme lengths and complex trajectories has resulted on significant challenges when assessing the feasibility of wireline operations in these wells as well as when planning and executing them. It is a common practice today to use forces-simulation software to perform simulations to optimize the conveyance aspects of these wireline operations; they usually determine the maximum tension that can be safely pulled at all depths under different conditions, such as running in, pulling out inside the casing or in the openhole.
Current simulations use, as working limits, the following mechanical properties of the wireline type selected and the cablehead weakpoint planned for the given job: wireline working limit, wireline weight, weakpoint low and high break ratings. That is, the current simulations are based on performance properties of downhole equipment and the downhole environment including the geometry of the borehole and formation properties.